Legit Reviews

Hey guys, my dad was thinking of getting a Mac Mini, but I took it upon myself to save himself the money and build a much more competent rig for less or the same amount of money. I haven't built an HTPC before, so I dunno if all the components will fit (the measurements of the case seems to allow the parts enough space). The rig I'm aiming for will draw little power, use the energy efficiently, operate quietly and cool, and also be powerful enough to do some light gaming just in case. Without further ado, here is the prospective build:

AMD Athlon II X4 610e (2.4Ghz), 137.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

MSI 880GM-E43 Micro ATX Mobo (880G, with HD4250), 79.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130293

HIS HD5670 IceQ 512MB, 89.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

SilverStone Grandia GD-05, 99.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Corsair CX430, 43.99 (with rebates it's 23.99):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139017

Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333mH RAM, 51.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820148262

An HDTV will serve as the monitor, and also, should I buy RAM with heat spreaders, or are the bare sticks alright for this build? Thanks!

For simplicity sake I would go with this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
Its a miniITX motherbard - ATOM processor,Nvidia ION GPU, wireless and PSU all in one small package. Just add 4GB of RAM - SSD hard drive, and a blu-ray drive. the mother board has a 4-pin connector on it so you can get power to the SSD and blu-ray drive.

Hm...that's a good idea, but I think I want a bigger, more powerful setup. Thanks for the input though.

I would stay clear from that power supply, check out the reviews and read for yourself. I know corsair makes some of the best power supplies but I think they went the cheap route with that one. The CX400 was awsome from what I've read and was made by seasonic. I'm not sure who makes this newer one.

Also the 1Gb version of that card has a 20 MIR so I would go for that one.

The Atom/ION kinda sucks as an HTPC. I built a couple of HTPC's based on it and getting hardware acceleration working (particularly VC-1 under Windows Media Center) can be quite a pain. Needless to say, both have been replaced with more capable machines (Clarkdale-based M-ITX).

I think the OP's AM3 mATX selection is pretty good and it should even be capable of some light gaming.

Thanks! This is my first time building an HTPC, so i didn't know which components would be the best.
I replaced to PSU with this one:
Seasonic X-series 400w (80+ Gold):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... r%20supply

The only complaint is it's a bit pricey for a lower-wattage power supply. but you get what you pay for, right?

Couple suggestions...
1) You don't need a quad core for a dedicated HTPC.
2) The AMD CPU is going to pull unnecessary power.

I'd look at an i3 with a mATX board. Couple that with the HD 5670 and it should be all you need.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115221
I know the 1156 is at EOL but this board has an external eSATA and USB 3.0 connectivity.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813157214

Wavid wrote:Thanks! This is my first time building an HTPC, so i didn't know which components would be the best.
I replaced to PSU with this one:
Seasonic X-series 400w (80+ Gold):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... r%20supply

The only complaint is it's a bit pricey for a lower-wattage power supply. but you get what you pay for, right?

That one is fanless, thats why it's so expensive. Here is another option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151094

Good suggestions all, I'll add a different approach:

1) Processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115221

2) Case, Mobo, PSU, Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6856101098

3) RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231190

The advantage of this rig is that it is a quick build, especially if you can use the IGP for awhile (will be fine for HTPC and VERY light gaming). You didn't specify a HDD or DVD in the original spec (and to the above rig that's all you would need to add).

Price as above = 389.97 (as of 01/02/11)

Add a 1.5TB HDD and Blu Ray = 509.95 (about $6 over your initial build)

1) HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136513

2) Blu Ray - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827106325

The advantage here is, that to make a rocking gaming rig, you upgrade the CPU and PSU, add a high end GPU that will fit and you have a killer SFF gaming rig.